Mobile Technology, Health and the Environment
Environmental Impact of
Mobile Communications Devices
Since the introduction of
modern mobile telephony
in the 1980s, there have
been dramatic reductions in
weight and changes in battery
chemistry that have reduced
the natural resources required,
both in terms of energy
and materials in the whole
production process, customer
use and final end-of-life.
The first mobile phones were so large and
heavy that they were usually installed
only in motor vehicles, wired into their
electrical systems. The first generation of
truly portable phones was still large and
heavy; containing lead acid batteries and
came with carrying bags with shoulder
straps, and weighed upwards of 4 kg.
These devices progressed steadily to
smaller, lighter models in the 1980s and
today mobile phone handsets typically
weigh less than 100g.1
Materials
In response to regulatory mandates in
Europe and other parts of the world,
the mobile industry has moved to phase
out potentially hazardous substances.
As an example, lead was used in
mobile phones, although in very small
quantities, in tin-lead solder, which very
efficiently bonded components into
integrated electronic devices. Although
the amount of tin-lead solder in a mobile
phone was typically less than one gram
per phone, mobile phones no longer use
tin-lead solder in their electronics.
1 Guideline on the Awareness Raising-Design Considerations (Revised
and Approved Draft). Mobile Phone Partnership Initiative Project 4.1.,
Basel Convention, United Nations Environment Program, 15 May 2008.
2 Kick the Habit – A UN Guide to Climate Neutrality, United Nations
Environment Programme, 2008.
3 CO2e = carbon dioxide equivalent. The global warming potential of
all greenhouse gases is measured in terms of the equivalent impact of
carbon dioxide (CO2).
Mobile phones are global products and
as other countries around the world
implement their own form of materials
legislation, it is important that there is a
harmonized approach both to the list of
controlled materials and the procedures
for assuring compliance.
Plastics are another area of significant
manufacturer research. Existing plastics
can be difficult to reuse, especially if they
are contaminated by paints or embedded
metal parts. Manufacturers are exploring
ways to improve ease of recycling and
also testing the suitability of bio-plastics
made from plant materials that could be
composted.
Energy Used
The environmental impacts of mobile
communications devices needs to viewed
across their entire lifecycle in terms of
the resources and energy they use. With
regards to their manufacturing and
usage, the United Nations Environment
Programme2 estimates that the
manufacture of a mobile phone produces
about 60 kg of CO2e and that using a
mobile phone for a year produces about
122 kg of CO2e.3
4 Life-time energy consumption includes the energy during manufacture,
transport, use and final disposal. Estimate from Stage III Final Report:
Evaluation of Options to Improve the Life-Cycle Environmental
Performance of Mobile Phones, European Commission Integrated
Product Policy Pilot on Mobile Phones, April 2006.
Mobile Technology, Health and the Environment
The main impact associated with day to
day mobile phone use is the power used
during the charging process. The charger
represents about 7% of the life-time
energy consumption of a typical mobile
phone.4 Industry is continuing to work
on reducing standby power consumption
and losses associated with charging.
Consumers can make a substantial
contribution by simply switching off and
unplugging the charger when it is not
needed.
If 10% of the world’s mobile phone users
turned off their chargers after use, the
energy saved in one year could power
60,000 European homes.
The standby operating time of a mobile
phone on a single battery charge has
increased from around 4 hours to up to 12
days or more, while the size of batteries
has been greatly reduced. This has been
accomplished through changes in battery
chemistry and reductions in the overall
energy requirements of the circuitry.
A modern mobile phone now
communicates with data as well as voice,
offers email and internet browsing, and
may also serve as multi-function personal
digital assistant, digital still and video
camera, MP3 music player, pager, alarm
clock, global positioning device, and
game machine. A multipurpose mobile
phone can remove the need for some
consumers to buy many additional
electronic devices.
Evolution in phone sizes.
1984
5Kg
1985
770g
1989
349g
2001
75g
Eco efficiency of typical mobile phones
1993-2003
Product eco-efficiency
400
Weight (g)
Talk time (min)
Standby (h)
300
200
100
0
93
94
95
96
97
98
Where to go for more information
GSMA website: www.gsmworld.com/environment
MMF website: www.mmfai.org/public
3
8 May 2009
GSMA Head Office 1st Floor Mid City Place 71 High Holborn London WC1V 6EA United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0)20 7759 2300
MMF Office: Diamant Building, Boulevard Auguste Reyers 80, 1030 Brussels Belgium
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